


As the Heavens Set Fire

by Gothams_Only_Wolf



Series: Elysian Fields [1]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Abused Daryl, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Canon-Typical Violence, Daryl is a Softie, Daryl is a bamf, Eventual Daryl Dixon/Rick Grimes, F/M, Gen, M/M, Magical Realism, Past Domestic Violence, Pay Attention to that Magical Realism tag, Protective Daryl, Shifter AU, Shifter!Carl, Shifter!Carol, Shifter!Glenn, Slow Burn, cursing, scarred character, shifter!Daryl, shifter!Rick
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-01
Updated: 2016-10-18
Packaged: 2018-05-30 11:17:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 12,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6421804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gothams_Only_Wolf/pseuds/Gothams_Only_Wolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daryl didn't think it'd come up, him being a Shifter an' all. He figured everyone already knew.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Commonality of Shifters

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Bennyhatter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bennyhatter/gifts).
  * Inspired by [The Wild Runs in Me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5667283) by [Bennyhatter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bennyhatter/pseuds/Bennyhatter). 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by Bennyhatter's Wild Soul series~ 
> 
> Going back to the beginning is harder than I thought? I've been watching since S2 (went back n caught up on S1) but I've never written anything for it. Color me surprised.
> 
> Started this thing twice but if I stare at it any longer I'm going to throw something. Just gonna toss this onto the pile of TWD Shifter fic. 
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

Everyone knew about Shifters.

Considering that one out of three was born with a second skin, of course they did. Well— They had. 

That was Before the dead started rising.

* * *

Daryl dealt with it by putting it like this; there was Before and After. 

Before was running after his big brother, like the sun shone outta Merle's ass. 

After was running from the dead and hoping that the people they ran across weren't half-mad. That and hunting.

Merle wanted to raid the camp and leave but something told Daryl to stay. A gut-deep, Shifter instinct. Numbers were safer in this topsy-turvy new world. His human brother had grumbled, kicked up a hell of a fuss but hadn't actually told Daryl that they had to go. There were a few Shifters, a pup that slunk after his Mama, a woman that cowered under a human's meaty fist and another kid that was due back from a raid of the doomed city of Atlanta. 

The scent that barely lingered on the kid's Mama was what intrigued Daryl the most; Shifter and the only reason he could even smell it was the Claim that sat on her shoulder. If the Shifter was really dead, the scent would've faded long before Daryl showed up. 

"Y'know, fuckin' Shane ain't helping your Claim." He muttered as he collected water for the camp with her. 

"He's dead." Lori paled as she gripped her shoulder, hiding the broken knotwork Claim as color returned high on her cheeks. 

"No he ain't. Any Shift with a workin' nose or eyes could tell you that," Daryl fired back. "Scent woulda been gone if that was the case." 

"You're lying," she spit back, showing him her blunt human teeth in her fury. 

Daryl grinned, mouth full of fangs as he sneered. "Ask your cub. He'll tell you the same damn thing."

* * *

Daryl came across the Shifter with eyes as wild as the soul that lurked under the human veneer—and that's exactly what it was, a flimsy cover—killing Walkers left and right with a bloodstained knife gripped so tight Daryl could hear the bones creak. He whirled amongst the dead, lean and graceful and in _**utter control**_. There were usually three reactions to Walkers; crying, dying or fury at the situation. This stranger did none of them. 

When the last of them thudded to the ground with a meaty plop, Daryl scuffed his boot on the hot asphalt. The piercing gaze landed on Daryl's loose stance and easy carriage of the crossbow along with the way he held himself. 

Daryl hitched in an unconscious breath at the predator that analyzed him. 

"Hey." Daryl splayed out his fingers, turning in a circle to let the other know he was no threat. "Easy." The rumble that laced his voice seemed to startle the Shift. 

"You alone?" 

"Nah." 

"I'm looking for my family," The Shifter stated. "My pack. Have you seen a dark-haired woman and a boy, about ten, this height?" He motioned to about the pup's height at his chest. 

"Yeah. They're back at our camp. You comin'?" 

"You're a Shift." 

"So're you." Daryl snorted at the faint surprise on the other's face. "Y'wanna tell me a name?" 

"Rick, Rick Grimes." 

"Daryl Dixon." They shook hands briefly with Daryl's Shift rippling under his skin at the contact. He pulled back and slunk ahead, glancing at Rick every so often to keep track of him. 

Lori Grimes had made one hell of mistake to cheat on _this_ Shift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect~ Feedback is appreciated!


	2. Rule Breaker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The response to this has blown me away?! I expected maybe double digit views but holy moley! 
> 
> Here's some more. 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

Daryl's seen plenty of Claims but none as broken as his Mama's. The intricate Celtic knotwork had been grey when _Daryl_ noticed it and almost faded into her skin by the time he was old enough to understand that the color should stay the same. 

That Lori had broken it, even if her Mate was dead, was unthinkable to any Shifter. 

Thing was, no one expected Rick's reaction. 

Rick defied every rule Daryl had ever seen Before... or After.

* * *

Daryl braced for a brawl or an uproar when Grimes strolled into camp with him. Walsh's scent blanched with fear, Lori's annoyance and anger a surprise even as the pup barreled past all of them to bare his neck to the Shift before hugging him tight. 

"Dad, you're _**alive**_." Carl (Daryl had been listening at introductions, after all) breathed into the grey cotton of Rick's shirt. "Mom..." 

"Broke our Claim, I know. No need to worry pup." Rick mumbled into Carl's hair, looking up to see a trembling Lori and a posturing Walsh. "You thought I was dead. No shame in taking comfort." 

"What?" Lori's confusion washed over the Shifters present, Daryl slinking off to hide behind Merle's scent of outright satisfaction. His brother was an idiot. A brawl between a Shift and a human, even one like Walsh, wouldn't end pretty. 

The adults were stuck between condemning Lori or asking Rick if he was mental. The Shift was neither, Daryl figured, just practical. 

"C'mere." Lori walked straight into Rick's arms. "This was breaking when I wasn't awake. It's weak. You could snap it if you wanted. So long's you don't keep me from Carl, we're good." 

"Of course. He's our son, not a bargaining chip." She softened, pressing a kiss to Rick's scruffy cheek. Lori wrinkled her nose and said, "Although you might want to Shift and take a dunk in the river." 

"C'mon pup," Rick kept his arm around Carl, dark blue gaze soft and affectionate. "Let's go wash on up."

* * *

"Why'd you let Mom go?" Carl asked as Daryl kept track of the Grimes pack from above, sleek spots blending into the tree-tops easily. 

"I didn't let go of anything. We loved one another and I asked her if she wanted me to Claim her. It was a mutual decision that if I died in the line of duty that she break it and live on. Never thought Shane would be the one she moved on with but," here Rick shrugged, "the heart wants what it wants." 

"She still cheated; I could still smell you on it." Carl growled and Rick cuffed his pup for the tone if not the words themselves. 

"She can't smell it like we can." Rick snorted out. "She followed through on our pre-planned fallback. There ain't nothing wrong in that." 

Carl opened his mouth, thought about it and closed it again. "Something's following us." 

"Leave it be. Not human or Walker." The older Grimes asserted as they found the river. 

"A Shift?" 

"No. Just a cat."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect. Feedback is loved~


	3. Living on the Edge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am flabbergasted at the hits! Just got past 400 and it's been up for just past 24 hrs... I think I'm in love with the TWD fandom?! 
> 
> All of you are so damn sweet~ Enjoy!
> 
>  **Shifts:**
> 
> **Daryl:** _Homotherium serum_ ; "Scimitar Cat"; prehistoric
> 
>  **Rick:** American Northwestern wolf
> 
>  **Carl:** American Northwestern wolf
> 
>  **Glenn:** Amur Leopard

* * *

Shifters could be any animal. Past or present, there had been a Shifter whose second skin it had been. 

Daryl knew he wasn't normal—even for a no-good Dixon. There'd been a Dixon Shift in every conflict from the Revolution until the most recent but no Dixon expected to survive the end of the world. It turned out that living on the edge gave them the advantage. 

He listened to the way his Shift responded to Rick Grimes.

* * *

Just a cat. Daryl turned around and chuffed in amusement as the Grimes pack canvassed the area, bird song picking up as they left. Just. A. Cat. 

As it was, Daryl couldn't find it in himself to be offended. 

His scent was definitely _**cat**_ but of a kind that hadn't tasted air since the last Ice Age. _Homotherium serum_ or "Scimitar cat"; Daryl had combed for days through the library to find it. The fact that it helped him avoid his human Daddy's belt (plus his Mama's thunderous roars when she caught the man) was the icing on the shitty cake he'd been handed from the start. 

The Grimes pack Shifted and—Oh. 

Brilliant white fur flowed over skin and cloth, the top half slowly darkening to a silvery grey with black ticking. Ears migrated up and forward with dark fur rimming the edges. Full lush tails unfurled from the crackling mess of bones and fur as the Grimes pair slipped into their second skins. 

Rick finished first, shaking off excess fur and yawning with a whine. Carl leaned forward on his front paws and wagged his tail like a dog wanting to play.

Wolves that would be more than a match for Daryl even with Carl still a lanky pup. They waded into the warm water as they yipped and nosed at one another with ease. Carl splashed into the deeper part of the river while catching Rick in the spray of his landing. They played under Daryl's watchful gaze, his golden gaze lingering on the powerful muscles that bunched and coiled with obvious strength. 

A very human scream had all three Shifters looking toward the camp. 

Trouble had found them.

* * *

Daryl jumped down as his body arched and bowed from the force of his change to human, lunging forward in the next step. Rick and Carl snarled as they bolted past him on four feet racing for the camp that they called home. He stabbed the Walkers with an arrow tip, weaving through the dead with his own predatory grace. Daryl tripped some of the Walkers, leaving his hand and wrist covered in viscera by the time he killed most of them. 

They had casualties. Jim, Jacqui, Amy and Ed, though the latter one had earned the wrath of the dead. 

The kid who'd been to Atlanta bounded into the aftermath, teeth bared before he slip-Shifted back into a very confused teenager. Daryl hid his bloodied hand and curled an arm around the kid before he could see the gore that littered the camp. 

"Who're you?" 

"Daryl. Y'don't wanna see that." He asserted as he steered the kid to the tent farthest from the damage. 

"See what?" 

"Walkers got to some of your pals. It ain't pretty." 

"Who?!" The Shifter tried to wriggle out of Daryl's grip but wasn't going anywhere. Even if the kid went to Altanta on raids, there was no need for him to see the senseless violence at home. 

"Hush. Jim, Jacqui, Amy 'n that sorry sack o' shit Ed." Daryl sat him next to Carl, the wolf pup whining softly. 

"Carl? What happened?" The kid Shifted again, the gold and rosettes offset by a light cream. It sure was a sight; a leopard and a wolf settled in together brought a faint smile to Daryl's lips. They communicated in chirps and soft yips, Carl pillowing his head on the kid's back when they finished. 

_This is Glenn._ Carl projected lightly, eyes alight in amusement. _Glenn Rhee._

"Glenn, huh? Keep 'im outta camp until we've got it cleared. I'll whistle—like this—" Daryl warbled out a low note, "so y'know when t' come back in." 

**Who died and made him boss?** Glenn grumbled as he licked half-heartedly at Carl. 

_My Dad came back. Him and Shane are holding down the fort with Dale, Merle and Daryl. I'll introduce you guys when Daryl or Dad says it in the clear._ Carl huffed as he nosed at one of Glenn's rosettes. 

**Fine. I did get some new supplies though...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect~ Feedback is lovely!


	4. Thunderstorms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might chapter-spam you, I might not because I have to get over the feels that are S6 finale first?!
> 
> Holy crap. Where are all of you coming from?! I feel so loved~ 
> 
> Enjoy! 
> 
> Question for you lovely folks; Any particular preference as to which Greene is a Shifter? I have a general idea but would appreciate some insight as they show up soon.

* * *

Daryl's favorite kind of weather was thunderstorms. They meant that he could Shift with Mama, stretching his long legs as far into the forest and grassy meadows as he wanted without the danger of getting shot. Merle even joined them, Mama insisting _both_ of her cubs learn how to hunt.

* * *

Georgia rain pattered through the camp, warm and forgiving as it washed away all trace of blood. Daryl's whiskers were beaded with it, droplets falling into the forest below as he stood vigil over the freshly dug graves. Everyone else was piled into either the RV or curled in tents with the downpour. He blinked slowly, keeping watch on the entire camp and several feet out in all directions. 

Daryl watched as Merle flipped his hood back to look for him. His brother, human as could be, still worried for his baby brother who could turn into a nearly 1,000 pound animal. He knew he was too big for the actual animal he Shifted into but that was how Shifters worked. They were bigger, more-powerful versions of what their second skin was. 

Frankly, he was lucky the branch he was on hadn't snapped yet. 

He chuffed and made a lowing sound deep in his chest.

"Whatcha doin' way up there, baby bro?" Merle snarked as he fitted himself close to the tree trunk. 

**_Keepin' watch, numbnuts._** Daryl murmured as he turned carfully to survey the rest of his patrol. **_...'N Vigil._**

"Like what Mama taught us?" Merle sounded vaguely impressed. "How long?" 

Vigil now meant twenty-four hours in case the dead started rising again, even with a knife or an arrow to the brain. Vigil then—

It meant honoring the dead. It meant listening to the spirits of the dead and fulfilling their last wishes. Dixons had been able to do it long before the family moved to the Americas and long after. 

**_Almost done._ **

"Anything good?" 

**_Sumbitch Ed wanted a last drink. Amy asked that I take care o' Andrea t'—and I quote—'The best of your ability, Mr. Dixon, and as rightly as you know how.' Jacqui asked for some wildflowers n Jim just wanted to say thanks for not prolongin' his misery._ **

"Y'did good." Merle smiled up at Daryl, "Wanna go huntin' after you take a long ass nap? 

**_Sure. Jus' don't crackle the underbrush again, dick._ **

* * *

Daryl passed out for a solid seventeen hours when he finished both Vigil and his self-imposed watch. 

"Is he... okay? I could've sworn I'd met him already." Glenn's voice was the first thing he heard as he shifted from human REM to a cat nap rhythm. 

"He's fine. Y'did, you just weren't paying as much attention as you should. M'brother's always been in th' background so he keeps to it now cause it's safe." Merle huffed out. His brother got easily frustrated with people that weren't Daryl. "Thought you Chinamen knew that already." 

"I'm Korean," Glenn quipped as he continued, "and there's no way he could slip past me." 

"Whatever Short Round." Merle stalked into their tent and sighed heavily. "You're confusin' the camp, Daryl. Wake up." Daryl rolled over and pillowed his face against Merle's thigh. Not even five seconds later, Merle's carding his fingers through Daryl's slightly longer mop. 

"Leave the cub be, Merle. He's a 'pard." Daryl snorted as he shoved his head against Merle's fingers. "'Snot a pride, not a pack but... it feels good." He cracked open an eye to stare up at his brother's pensive expression. 

"If you're sure, baby bro." 

"I am. Rick's good for them. Makes Walsh a better leader 'cause he's tryna make it up to Rick." Daryl muttered as he kneaded the blanket with his human fingers. 

"'Rick,' huh?" Merle teased as he prodded at Daryl's shoulder. 

"Asshole."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect. Feedback is lovely~


	5. The One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My gosh, TWD folks sure are noticing things! 
> 
> Perhaps one of my most perceptive fandoms to date, a few of you are questioning what I put in the chapters and why they are the way they are. 
> 
> Excellent. Pelt me with questions! 
> 
> Also, I've been see-sawing for a while on this. Maybe you can help!
> 
> I have a title that I think would suit this better but I have grown fond of the current one.
> 
> Should I switch it out? 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

Daryl went missing the day his Mama died. 

Authority chalked it up to her holding onto Daryl so tightly that his burnt bones fused with hers. He showed up three weeks later in human form, streaked in dirt and leaves. 

Truth was... 

Daryl went to listen for his Mama's spirit. He searched for hours and found her lingering by her grave. 

_Hi, baby._ She Shifted, her sandy fur silvered by her death. _You listen up, Daryl._

 ** _Yes Mama._** Daryl curled around her in his still-growing Shift, pillowing his head on his massive paws. 

_When you find your One,_ Mama sighed heavily, her thoughts harder to collect. Daryl waited as she gathered them with intent. _Don't you ever let them hit you. I don't care how much your second skin howls to be away from 'em. You put as much distance as you can between you n them._

**_What if... What if they don't?_ **

Mama started at the hope wavering in his tone. 

_Then you hold on tight, baby. You hold on tight._

* * *

Merle and Daryl told Dale they were hunting. 

If they so happened to be hunting for a new living space along the way... Oh well. 

Daryl slung his crossbow over his shoulder, sliding into the brush with barely a sound, mimicking his second skin with his careful tread. Merle followed in his steps, keeping an eye out for animal tracks until they slipped far enough from camp. He looked around with caution as he scented the wind. When it was as safe as it was going to get, Daryl Shifted. 

Dusky fur flowed over his arms and hands as his body creaked and cracked under the strain of moving from one skin to the next. Within the space of one breath and the next Daryl could sense everything around him ten times better. He chuffed at Merle, rubbing where his scent had faded by Merle spending time with Carol (the nervous Shift). 

"Jealous much?" 

**_Nah. You're part of the Dixon pride so you gotta smell like me. 'S a cat thing._**

"Is it cause I spend so much time with that rabbit woman?" Merle loved to play the fool for anyone watching but Daryl's always seen straight through it. 

**_Ain't no rabbit but you keep tellin' yourself that._** he snorted dryly. 

"Not—Then why'd she keep around that ugly cuss?" Merle's gaze was sharp now. 

**_Sophia's as human as they get. She can't live as a Shift. Carol couldn't leave her human baby in his hands. The little one'd be dead before sundown if that was the case._** Daryl murmured as he sank his claws into a tree, raking his scent down the enormous trunk and loosening up the duller claws. 

He paused when he smelled another cat, the scent light and soft. 

Female. 

Unrelated to him or Merle. 

Daryl climbed up the tree and motioned that Merle should follow. Merle grunted but came up the tree with him, both of them watching the mountain lioness pass below them. She stopped her fluid stride to sniff at Daryl's marking. Her entire body stretched up as she inhaled Daryl's scent from the heavy, almost bear-like rips in the bark. 

Dropping down, she projected, **If you were gonna attack me, you woulda done it already. Get your sorry butts outta that tree. You're in my territory.**

He Shifted in the tree, skinning his palms on the rough bark that felt softer under his second skin paws on his way down. Merle skidded down on his boots scuffing the bark but coming down unscathed. 

"Sorry Miss." Daryl murmured in apology, ducking his head and elbowing Merle before he could say anything stupid. "We'll go." 

**Wait.** The mountain lioness tilted her head to the side. **I don't suppose you two belong with anyone?**

"Got attacked by th' dead, searching for somewhere t' scratch out a livin'. Not too many of us left." Daryl continued, his voice raspy from talking more than he had in weeks. "A few Shifts, a few humans. We're willin' to work." 

**I gotta do some thinking. Can you find your way back?** She asked kindly, her golden eyes soft and paying attention to both Daryl and the way Merle was fidgeting. 

"Mm-hmm." 

**Go. Meet me here tommorrow. Same time?**

"Sure." Merle could see how Daryl needed to stop talking before he hurt himself. He shot his brother a grateful look after she glided back into the underbrush. "Thanks, Darleena." 

Daryl rolled his eyes and waited until the mountain lioness' scent faded to a comfortable distance so that he could properly hunt.

* * *

The thrum of the hunt sang in his blood making him silent and eager. An entire herd of white-tails, nearly thirty strong when it'd been less than a year had Daryl kneading the Georgia clay in anticipation. 

He padded forward and ambushed a young buck, his teeth slicing through the lifefont with ease, his enormous paw wrapped around his prey's nose to suffocate it. 

The second one, a doe, squealed before he could silence her fully. The third was shot in his human form and the forth was done in by Merle cleanly slicing the deer's hamstring. 

They caught all four, only two of which made it back to their camp as Daryl gorged himself on hot copper and flesh like he hadn't in months. Merle only rolled his eyes at Daryl's mess. 

"Jus' leave some for the rest of us fatty." 

Daryl's lips peeled back to reveal his blood-soaked sabers, the rumbling growl enough warning for his brother. 

"My bad; I know human food don't exactly cut it." 

He washed away the blood coating his fur with a dunk in the slightly nippy water, the first of many signs that they needed to find good shelter before winter hit. Not everyone had a second skin or a coat that'd last the winter. 

He skinned the deer away from everyone, making both skins the biggest they could be and handing them off to Merle to flesh. 

As a sign all was forgiven for Merle's earlier comment, Daryl offered some of the thick dark liver he was still chewing on as a peace offering. His brother took it with a dip of his head in acknowledgement. 

Merle bumped his shoulder in an affectionate Dixon gesture and they both huffed at the exclaimations of the camp when they brought back the deer meat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect. Feedback is lovely~


	6. Nanna Dixon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there's good news and there's bad news! 
> 
> Bad news is I'm moving. Box city in my place in every room. This'll be the last chapter I can post in a while. Might update on Thursday, might not. 
> 
> I'll be back soon. 
> 
> Good news is I might get ahead in writing~ 
> 
> Pay attention to the tags that get added or are already there. They're important later on.

* * *

With a world full of Shifters, magic was an afterthought. Humans or Shifts didn't put much stock into it other than a wistful sort of want. For Daryl it couldn't be more different. 

The day his Daddy beat him so bad that even Shifter healing wasn't enough, he found it. 

Daryl ran. Merle wasn't home and no way in Hell was Daryl going back to the man who hurt him. 

Blood seeped into his fur, matting the dusky color to a dark inky shade. His claws spasmed against the rich Georgia clay with Daryl hoping against hope that he'd heal or die. Rain broke over him, washing away the blood in thick streams as Daryl smelled someone. 

"Oh my poor grandbaby." The thick Southern drawl of Nanna Dixon jolted Daryl back into awareness. He panted softly as he looked up to see his Nanna with her clear umbrella and her soft doe eyes. 

**_Nanna._** He crooned, his eyes widening as he realized which form he was in. **_No, no, no..._** Daryl tried to stand, to move away because Mama said that Nanna wouldn't understand. 

"Oh Daryl. I knew what you were the second your Mama gave birth to ya. All Dixons know. It's in our blood."

Nanna Dixon understood a hell of a lot more than people gave her credit for, it turned out.

* * *

Going back to the spot alone, Daryl nipped at the edge of his thumbnail, worrying the skin with his human teeth as he waited. The rustle of the brush was deliberate and Daryl looked up to see the mountain lioness settle three feet from him. 

**Hey. You're back.**

"... Said I would be." He grunted as he picked at a scab he got from the doe that squealed on him. 

**Most people lie.**

"I do too." 

The mountain lioness laid down and crawled forward. **But I get the feelin' that you'd never hurt anybody if you did.** She stretched out her neck and Daryl tentatively reached out, brushing his thumb right against the bridge of her nose up to the top. She rumbled—nope, not a rumble—she _purred_ as he petted her thick neck and broad head. **So, I thought about it.**

"Yeah?" 

**My leader 'n your leader gotta talk but at least it's a start.**

* * *

Rick took it in with a pensive expression as Daryl scuffed the toe of his boot into the quarry's gravel. Walsh was mean-mugging Daryl and Merle, mean ol' cuss he was, stared right back with a challenge gleaming in his gaze. 

"You know her name?" 

"'S Beth. She's... sweet. Too sweet to be a trap." Daryl admitted as he shifted his crossbow strap again. 

"And how would you know? You're not a Shifter. You can't smell her intentions." 

" _Shane_." Rick's authoritive bark had the man backing up. "Daryl's got good instincts even if he isn't a Shift." The indigo eyes crinkled at the edge when he gave Daryl a reassuring smile. "I'll meet with Ms. Beth and I'll be taking Daryl and... Glenn." 

"Two Shifters for one conversation? Too threatening. Take Andrea instead." Dale offered genially as he leaned on the hood of his RV. "We'll stay in the RV and set up some rooftop guards. You go." 

"Sounds pretty good. Andrea, you up to talkin'?" Rick asked her kindly, gripping her shoulder gently. 

"If it gets us out of here, I'm game." She answered with an upward tilt of her chin. 

They walked though the underbrush with Daryl leading the way. He whistled to let Beth know that he was there with his leader and a guest. She sat regally in the wide meadow, her tail curled up neatly in front of her paws. The older male (human, through 'n through) straightened up and frowned at the sight of Rick and Andrea. 

"My daughter said that there was another with you." 

"Daryl's keeping watch for the dead," Rick replied as he held out his hand. The man shook it with a firm grip. "Rick Grimes." 

"Hershel Greene. And the lovely young lady next to you?" The tiny smile softened Hershel's face some. 

"Andrea," She shook his hand and they got to talking, Daryl an ever-watchful presence in the forest. 

Things looked alright for now but Daryl _always_ waited for the other shoe to drop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect. Feedback is lovely~


	7. Hide

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back~ 
> 
> I have limited access but I have enough that I can post this! I'm a few chapters ahead so I wanna stretch it out. 
> 
> Sorry for not double posting. 
> 
> Enjoy~ 
> 
> **Shifters so far:**
> 
> **Grey goshawk - Carol**
> 
> **Homotherium serum - Daryl**
> 
> **Northwestern wolf - Rick, Carl**
> 
> **Amur leopard - Glenn**
> 
> **Mountain lion - Beth**

* * *

Shifters had to be careful. They had to build a tolerance for Shifting, especially during puberty where it was awkward to be in human form but not in their second skin. Stay too long and you'd get stuck. Stay too short and you'd get stuck halfway between forms for a long while. 

Daryl'd been a natural, Shifting from one form to the next almost seamlessly thanks to his Mama's training. 

Nanna Dixon trained him too, only she used the magic she was born with, letting Daryl flourish under her care after his Mama's death. She told Daryl that he had so much magic it took weeks for her to corral it. 

Daryl found magic did best when he gave it a purpose. 

Nanna had scolded him something fierce the first time he used it to hide from her and her guests. 

Years later and his old habit of hiding saved him from a lot of things. Daryl couldn't hide from himself, however, nor ignore the way he was starting to see Rick as more than a leader.

* * *

Sophia disappeared on their way to the farm, chased by Walkers into woods that Daryl knew. Daryl sat and dug at the loam of the forest with his knife as all the Shifters (save him and Carol) went looking for the little girl. It galled him that he had to sit, pretend his senses weren't working or that even with tracking expertise, he'd 'get in the way of the real trackers.' 

"What'd that dirt ever do to you?" Dale asked as he leaned on the RV. 

"Nothin'." He grumbled while stabbing deep enough to hit the thick red clay. Daryl dug some up, wiping his knife clean before working the clay into a figurine. Merle was off to the side, keeping Carol company in his way, the animated waving of his hands as he told stories about Daryl (leaving out the Shift, as Mama taught him) making her smile slightly. 

He heard the Shifters padding into camp, Rick and Carl with their heads hung low and Glenn's thick tail lashing from side-to-side. 

"Is she—?" 

_We can't find her._ Rick sat, his head coming nearly to Carol's height. _I'm sorry._

"I-I'll look." She hiccuped and Shifted into a bird, the feathers washing over her until she's engulfed in them. When she shrank in size, the glossy grey feathers and sharp talons said predator as she took off from a stand-still in a flurry of feathers. 

"C'n I go look now? Just cause y'all have better senses don't mean you can track worth a shit." Daryl huffed out. Walsh opened his mouth before closing it with a glare directed at Daryl. 

_Yes._ Rick padded up next to him, the tug and pull of tireless muscles rolling the ticked 'n white fur and making it glitter in the late sun. _Can you teach me?_

"You ain't tired?" 

_No. Carl, try to scrounge up something. You've been Shifted too long today._

"Yes Dad." Carl slip-Shifted back, the thick fur disappearing quickly and showing Carl again. "Good luck." This he directed at Daryl, his sky blue eyes softer than Rick's but just as sincere. 

"Thanks." Daryl ducked his head and rubbed at the back of his neck in a self-conscious display.

* * *

He strolled into the woods, back the way the Shifters had come, his feet marking a softer path than the predators who'd gone before him. Examining the leaves and the print patterns took time and he showed Rick the footprints that weren't cat or wolf, standing out in the mud of the river line clear as day. 

_We missed that. She crossed the river._

"She did. Here and here, y'all disturbed the track she took away from them. Skin bits from the Walkers," Daryl made a face at the human name for the dead, "there and up against the trees. Sophia broke branches 'n undergrowth. You can smell fresh cut branches." He waited as Rick sloughed through the meandering river, water spraying in the sunlight as the wolf shook off. He sniffed at the edge wagging his lush tail when he found her movement. Daryl picked his way across the rocks that were a makeshift bridge to the other side. 

Broken or bent bushes told Daryl she'd at least made it over. It scattered, the paths more tangled and harder to make out as the sun started to set. Rick whined low in his throat as he found one of the dead, a man half buried in the root of a tree. Daryl stabbed it in the head pulling out his knife and wiping it on the leaves as an afterthought. 

_We should head on back. No use to the group dead._ Rick lead the way back, his stride long and easy to keep up with. _You're not scared of me, not like this._

"Nah. Came across too many in the woods. Shifts like the wild, like the smell of trees 'n shit." Daryl snorted. 

_I didn't tell the group. Do you not like your Shift?_ The stormy blue eyes looked up at Daryl with muted curiosity. Rick wouldn't mind if he didn't answer but he wanted to know if Daryl was uncomfortable. It shook Daryl in a way he couldn't explain, that someone outside of Nanna and Merle cared for him. 

"'S weird, is all." He admitted as he rubbed at his neck, crossbow loose in his hand. 

_You don't have to explain._ Rick's tongue lolled out a bit, a wolfish reassurance as they walked through the shaded woods. _You're still Shifting at least?_

"Yeah." That was a valid concern, considering a Shifter that stayed too long in either form (human or second skin) would retain traits from the one they stayed in longest. Bare areas in the second skin wasn't fun in the cold and the longer the stay, the worse it was. Daryl made sure to split his time between the two as much as possible. "You?" 

_Always on the third day if I've been in either for more than twenty four hours._

Daryl shot a few hares and snagged a few squirrels as well, Rick loping with the fat rabbit he'd caught in his mouth. They'd try again for Sophia tommorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect. Feedback is lovely~


	8. Forging of Gods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have 'Net again and I'm a few chapters ahead! This fic is on one hell of a roll~ 
> 
> Poll for you lovely folks: 
> 
> Should Shane live to see Daryl's reveal or not? 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

Nanna Dixon taught Daryl respect for beings other than those who could use magic or Shift. 

The world around them was full of magic, had been for years but certain places took on more than others. Sometimes that magic built, became Magic in the ways of Old, forged itself into a Being or God or Goddess in its own right. 

Magic was respect for where you came from; the forests and plains and caves of the peoples before you. 

Daryl listened to it all, paid close attention to that fact and swore to Nanna that he would always do so.

* * *

Carol sat at the edge of the camp, her face still as carved marble. Daryl made sure to step deliberately loud enough so that she could hear him. Merle was on her left, humming snatches of old Dixon lullabies as he rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand. 

"Are you going to apologize too?" Soft grey feathers rimmed eyes that had stayed the molten gold of her Shift. They'd disappear but for now, she'd have to wear them on her human skin. 

"Nah." Daryl offered her the Cherokee rose he'd plucked when he thought of her and Sophia. "It means things are gonna be alright." 

"Will they?" Her other hand was clenching the cross she wore around her neck, uncurling to reveal the tiny thing. "I've-I've been praying." 

"That's good." Merle encouraged. 

When he wasn't being an asshole or trying to live up to the expectations of the Dixon name, Daryl's brother could be a less shitty person than usual. Carol hadn't softened his brother; on the contrary, she brought out a side Daryl hasn't seen in years. Merle was complicated. 

Daryl too, but—Not everyone chose to look past the gruff exterior they showed. 

Walsh struck Daryl as a dog, not because of his tendency to follow Rick but because he postured, snapped and snarled but in the end was still loyal to those he chose to call family. They'd gotten off on the wrong foot and the man pushed at Daryl, hoping to vent the aggression under his skin. Merle blocked Walsh and drew it to the side, to himself. 

Their group was tighter after the fiasco that was the flood of the dead. They chose to trust Daryl and Merle to bring them food when they thought there wasn't any, water when they'd almost run out. 

Rick helped in that, trusting Daryl enough to settle next to him in Shifted form. 

Seeing that Merle was curled around Carol as though he were the Shift and not Daryl eased his mind. He slipped away into the shadows, pausing at the edge of the forest when he heard paws slipping through the leaves. 

_Are you gonna Shift? It's been a few days. I've got dinner._ The stormy blue eyes were just a sliver of color amongst the widened pupils to help Rick hunt better. 

"I will." 

_Would you mind if...? You don't have to._

Daryl bit at his lip and shook his head no. If they'd been shocked by Carol's Shift, the group would want him gone if they saw his. 

A voice that sounded suspiciously like Nanna Dixon muttered, _Daryl, baby, that thought's horseshit._ Daryl scrubbed at his nose and loped into the forest, leaving Rick to watch him with a thoughtful blue gaze.

* * *

Daryl climbed up a tree and Shifted, his fangs clicking as he yawned. He licked his nose washing his face with a paw until he was satisfied. Jumping down brought with it the sounds of the forests, the wind making the branches shush and sway as he padded silently through the forest. 

He chose to clean himself in a shallow clearing, the space only big enough for him and part of the group, nothing like the wide meadow that was a part of Beth's territory. He licked, chewed and made sure he was sleek. All of his claws were sharp and ready for a hunt. 

Daryl settled in and waited for the edge of dawn to peek through the trees. Deer started to pick their way into the flowered clearing, nipping off the heads of clover flowers as they grazed. His breathing softened to nearly a whisper before he paused. Amongst the deer was a Shifter, the enormous antlers a dead give-away as was the size. The white buck tranquilly foraged with the others, blending in despite the snowy coat. 

**_Hey._** Daryl projected, making sure to present his intentions loud and clear. 

**Yes?** the deer Shift flicked his ear in understanding. 

**_You mind if I take the one on the far left 'n the old doe next to him?_** Daryl asked bluntly. **_They're sick. Herd don't need 'em._**

 **If you can catch them, they're yours.** The Shifter flicked up his white tail as a banner. The herd bolted, leaving the two Daryl had asked for in the rear. He Shifted and shot the buck in the head and heart in quick succession before slip-Shifting to take the doe for himself. 

**_Thanks._ **

**You're welcome.**

Daryl pulled back before he took a bite of the doe. He unfurled his magic, the thick wash of Georgia red and forest green that tickled the edge of his sight telling him that the deer hadn't been a Shifter. 

No, he'd been something Nanna told Daryl to respect. 

A forest God, one that could Shift between as many forms as he chose but so often was a deer. 

Daryl dug into both deer with his thick claws, spilling the blood over the clearing and saturating the ground with the warm lifefont. He rooted around and gently removed the heart and liver of both, nosing the organs into a pile. 

**_So I took of th' forest, so I return to th' forest._ **

A rustle caught his attention and a familiar scent stumbled past him. 

Sophia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect. Feedback is lovely and if at all confused, please do ask questions!


	9. Cantrip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The readers for this fic are super amazing and I love you all very much, hence the update! One whole month and you all are still here. :) 
> 
> The poll results are that Shane lives to see the reveal of Daryl's Shift. 
> 
> ... That being said, has anyone noticed what I'm doing with Merle? 
> 
> If you can guess where part of the cantrip (the first line) is from, you _all_ get a one-shot of this verse with Daryl and Rick being disgustingly cute! 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

Nanna used to tell a story to Daryl and Merle. 

She'd say, 

"Legend has it that there is a One for everyone, be they human or Shifter. When the world was new and Magic was not quite so forgotten, she forged a sliver of the soul meant for each one into the other soul of every being made." 

Nanna half-sang, half-spoke the cantrip she taught Daryl, swinging his hands in a swaying motion even though he was fifteen and a sour cuss with a scowl on his face. 

_Half my heart to make you whole_

_My fire to light your coal_

_A key to fit_

_A desire to ne'er quit_

_For you are the other half of my soul_

He never forgot it.

* * *

Daryl had never Shifted back faster in his life than he did now. 

"Sophia?" He croaked, hoping that she was still—

Wide brown eyes took in Daryl, her mouth open as she took in the sight of blood coating his face and hands up to the elbow. 

"Daryl," She breathed out, her cheeks thinned from spending three days in a forest. Sophia wobbled straight into his bloodied grip, both of them breathing the other in. "Daryl, was that you?" 

She'd seen him. Sophia had seen his _Shift_ —

"Why're you so pretty?" 

That wasn't the reaction he'd expected; not at all. 

"Pretty?" He echoed, blinking down at the little one in his lap. 

"Y'got spots and you looked like-" Sophia gasped softly. "You're a kitty!"

"Yeah." Daryl ducked his head but she followed. "What?" 

"I won't tell." Brown eyes peered up at him, soft and equally as reassuring as Rick's gaze had been. "Not even Mama." 

"Cross your heart?" Daryl muttered, swallowing his mouthful of nervous bloodied spit. 

"Cross my heart."

* * *

When Daryl showed with Sophia, carrying the buck between them on a make-shift drag, Carol shot up from her seat and bolted for her daughter. Sophia dropped her part of the drag and collided with her Mama both of them crying tears of joy. 

"Oh Sophia, don't you ever scare Mommy like that again." 

"Yes Mama." Her reply was muffled by Carol's hold but heard all the same. 

Daryl's lips pulled up in a small smile at the happy reunion. 

"Go wash off, baby bro." Merle nudged him none-too-gently towards the burbling brook Daryl could hear next to the camp. "Y' got blood everywhere." 

Daryl handed off the drag, slipping away from the camp's quiet happiness. He Shifted, dunking head-first into the nippy water, watching as the blood swirled and pooled around his sturdy paws before washing down the eddy. Daryl made sure to get off every last drop and then stepped out of the water to shake off. With his fur bushed out, he set about cleaning himself, his tongue washing in broad strokes as he licked away the debris of the hunt and the river. 

Merle stood watch, something almost satisfied in his expression that had Daryl taking a second glance. 

"Hurry up. I want a wash too." Daryl obliged by Shifting back and brushing against his brother in a cat-like manner. "Yeah, yeah, I smell like them, not like Dixon. Just lemme wash first," 

Daryl kept look-out while leaning against a tall poplar tree as he made his scan. 

"'M done. Didn't play like you did." Merle announced as Daryl huffed softly. The Shift again had Daryl slightly dizzy. "Daryl?" 

The concern had Daryl rumbling softly. _**I think I gotta stick with one skin for the rest of the day. Tell 'em that I'm hunting again now that Sophia's back. We still need more meat. 'S a big pack.**_

"Stickin' with wolf terms?" 

_**Easier, even though pride makes more sense.**_

"Stay in that one. I'll make excuses, brother, but you be careful. Still some messed up people out here in this new world." Merle sighed, leaning on Daryl's massive second skin. "Either you got fluffier or you're gettin' fat." 

_**Winter fur, dipshit. It's almost fall. Water's too cold t' be summer anymore. Glad we found th' Greenes when we did.**_ Daryl snorted dryly. 

"Me too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


	10. Just Like Mama

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, you lot are wonderful. 
> 
> Second of all, I've written a companion piece to this! It's called Into the Arms of the Georgia Sun and should be in the other works inspired by this one link. If not, it's in my recent fics~ 
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

Dixons could practically taste tension, could read a room in less 'n five seconds if they had to. 

Daryl didn't like going into town because of it. The folks in town whispered behind thier hands as though he and Mama couldn't hear them. 

"You stay away from them Dixons, y'hear? They're dirty rotten hicks." 

"Good for nothin's." 

"Won't amount to much, since he's a Dixon." 

Mama would flinch, like they wanted her to, holding onto Daryl's hand as she went around on her errands. He'd squeeze her hand a little, sub-vocally rumbling to soothe his Mama's sour scent of worry. She'd glance down at him with a small smile tilting her lips up. 

Mama would usually shop with her back straight and her grip on the cart hard enough to crack the plastic handle and bend the metal underneath it. 

That had been the moment when Daryl decided he wanted to be just like his Mama; strong and proud.

* * *

They made it to the Greene farm even though the RV broke down on the spot. Daryl stuck to the RV, keeping Dale company and helping him find parts to repair the vehicle. 

There's something wrong with the barn. 

Daryl climbed the trees and stared at it, gaze narrowed as he kept out of the way of the Greenes and their farm-hands. Well, he _tried_ to. 

All three cubs gravitated towards him, Sophia and Carl sticking like glue after the first few days. Beth joined them when she was finished with her chores, laying stretched out on a branch as Carl curled 'round Sophia on the bottom in his Shift half the time. 

He didn't have the heart to tell them to go away. 

That's what found him up in the tree the day Shane decided to investigate the lock. 

Magic rippled across the yard, a visible purple wave to Daryl as it swept past the humans and Shifters in the yard. It skidded to a halt in front of Otis and Maggie as though reporting Shane's activities. 

Daryl didn't say anything but Beth lifted her head to stare at the barn too, her instincts roused by the suddenly oppressive rotten air around the barn. 

_Carl, can you smell that?_

**Yeah.** The lanky wolf pup trotted forward but Daryl skidded down the tree, stopping Carl. **Daryl?**

"Don't." He shook his head, palm hovering a scant hairsbreadth away from Carl's muzzle. "'S not for us." 

Carl sat down and shoved his wet nose against Daryl's palm. Daryl obliged, petting Carl's thick fur ruff and scratching behind his ears as they watched the outcome of Otis confronting Shane. 

Rick broke it up, his stance authoritive and his solid presence clear of wrath. 

"What's goin' on? Shane? Otis?" 

"Something's in that barn that they don't want us to see, Rick." Shane sneered at Otis, baring his human teeth. 

"Shane. Otis." Rick's tone isn't chiding or sharp but... disappointed. It cut right through the tension, two grown men suddenly ashamed of themselves. "Don't you two have work that needs to be done?" 

Both looked down at that, scuffing thier boots and not apologizing but getting back to their work. 

Daryl breathed a sigh of relief that was echoed by Carl, Sophia and Beth.

* * *

Peace reigned for exactly three weeks. 

Daryl asked Beth for permission to hunt outside of her relatively large territory. He strolled through the unscented woods while keeping to his human shape to stay safe. As he checked on wild pig tracks, someone struck him on the back of the head. 

His vision greyed out, sharpening enough to see the second strike across his temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


	11. Poachers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, whew. My device did not die! So, as a victory lap, I'm posting a new chapter~ 
> 
> You all were super sweet yesterday and thank you for your supportive comments. 
> 
> Enjoy~
> 
> _WARNING: Daryl kills people. They're **bad** people but still people and it is violent._

* * *

Poachers were universally hated the world over. They hunted Shifters, hunted them for sport or research facilities who couldn't get volunteers for a program on census taking. A Shifter could always tell when a Poacher was around; they smelled like anger, fear and clouded scents. 

Daryl avoided town for exactly that reason; he'd never been captured thanks to his cautious nature.

* * *

Water, icy and sharp, woke him up. He sub-vocally growled, not willing to give his captors the satisfaction of waking him easily. 

"Think you hit him too hard?" 

"No way." The second voice sounded assured. "Carlos, sniff him," 

**Yes sir,** The resentment laced into the tone almost choked Daryl. **He's swimming in and out. Let him wake on his own.**

On a lower frequency, Carlos muttered, **Wake slowly. I'll distract them, you run. This is not a good place for you to be.**

 ** _I think you better go._** Daryl responded in the same low tone. **_I don't like bein' tied up._**

Daryl's eyes snapped open, fur rippling over his human form and exploding into his massive second skin, a roar that echoed into the tree line the only warning the sleek ocelot got from him. 

"Holy shit!" The other three in the group scrambled for their guns and knives but Daryl knew that scent.

Poachers. Cub killers and there was nothing more Daryl hated. 

He swatted the first into a tree, launching himself at the second one and crushing the life out of him with his weight before turning to the third. The third screamed but Daryl wasn't going to leave them alive; not with Beth and Carl and Carol and _Rick_ to worry about. Daryl's jaws closed around the man's neck, cracking it with his molars, relieved when hot, thick blood coated his tongue.

The first one was gasping, breath wet with blood and saliva. The whistle afterwards told Daryl he wasn't going to survive for much longer. 

"Ple-Please—" 

**_Please what? How many cubs, how many lives have you taken since the world ended?_** Daryl snarled back, his sabers as bloody as his peeled back lips. **_You ask for mercy, y'damn killer, an' you never gave it. You c'n rot like the rest of the dead._**

Carlos and Daryl sat and watched the life fade from the man's eyes. Neither were willing to take the chance that he would survive. 

**Thank you.** Carlos murmured as he scratched dirt over the head of the dead one, pissing on it for good measure. **They killed my pride in Mexíco and kept me as... an example.** The thick iron collar would prevent a Shifter from going back to their human skin, the neck more fragile in that form. Daryl Shifted back and dug around in his still-intact bag. Ten seconds later Carlos was free, the rusting metal clanging to the asphalt as they slipped into the forest. 

**_You mind if I groom you real quick?_** Carlos nodded in agreement before his dirty fur was being cleaned by Daryl in his second skin. 

**Why are you helping me?**

**_Shifts, 'specially us rare ones, gotta stick together. You got a place t' stay?_** Daryl muttered as he gave Carlos one last lick with his broad tongue. 

**Thank you for offering but no. I can hunt and I'll be alright. I suspect my human skin will take a while to turn back to it's regular self and I don't want to be around anyone while it heals.** Carlos replied contritely, ducking his head and looking at Daryl with respect in his gaze. 

**_Fair enough. Good luck._ **

**Thank you, amigo.**

**_Amigo?_** Daryl cocked his head to the side at the word. 

Carlos chuckled dryly as he left Daryl, traveling away from Beth's territory before he explained. **It means 'my friend' in Spanish.**

* * *

By the time he found the Greene farm he was still covered in the blood of his captors. He was stumbling in his human skin, tired and sore from Shifting so many times duing the day. The dimness of the light could be blamed for what happened next. 

Blinding pain erupted as the report of the shot echoed, his own blood spraying in a wide arc. He snarled as he dropped to the ground but didn't Shift again. Daryl wouldn't dare, even if the pain was absolute agony. He passed out when he felt rather than smelled Rick's presence because it meant he was _home_.

* * *

Waking up was like trying to move a boulder with his fingertips. He groaned as he cracked open one eye. Daryl snapped it shut again at the bright sunlight that glared into the room. Something swished and he felt Rick again. 

"Sorry about that." Rick's voice was soft. "You missed a lot." 

"Did I?" Daryl managed, throat feeling like he'd gargled rocks. "Water?" 

"Here," A straw was pressed to his lips. He swallowed until he needed to breathe. "Better?" 

Daryl blinked open his eyes and almost closed them again. Rick looked concerned, the corners of his mouth turned down as he looked Daryl over. "Yeah." 

"What happened?" 

"People." When he couldn't hear anyone else near the door, he muttered quietly. "Poachers." 

Rick sucked in a sharp breath, blowing it out and scraping his longer hair back. "You, uh, take care of 'em?" 

"Got all of them." The fierce grin on his face was matched by Rick's own before he winced at the throb at his temple. "Who _shot_ me?" 

"Andrea. She wants you to know that she's very sorry." Rick relayed. "Dale's making her practice with cans and a handgun." 

"Damn. What happened here?" 

"We lost Otis out on a run. The barn was full of the dead. We lost Hershel's wife, his son and a few hands." Rick's expression soured considerably as he listed off the people who died. "Sophia escaped them by running up your tree."

"Good." 

"Rest, Daryl. You Shift?" The soft question has him blinking.

"I did." He yawned and shuffled to curl up. "Thanks fer takin' care of our group." 

"You're welcome." Daryl swore he was imagining the fond tone and the brush of fingertips in his hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


	12. Wild Thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you missed Chapter 11, please go back n read that one! Holy crap, this has the most subscriptions I've ever had on a fic in my life... 
> 
> This is now a series called Elysian Fields~ 
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading!
> 
> Enjoy~ 
> 
>  
> 
> **Shifters:**
> 
> **Grey goshawk - Carol**
> 
> **Homotherium serum - Daryl**
> 
> **Northwestern wolf - Rick, Carl**
> 
> **Amur leopard - Glenn**
> 
> **Mountain lion - Beth Greene**
> 
> _Magic Users:_
> 
> _Maggie_
> 
>   _Daryl_

* * *

Mama used to despair when Daryl wouldn't come inside after dark. She'd tease and call him a wild thing. She'd cajole and croon for him but Daryl reveled in not having to hide in the moonlit forest. Enticing Mama to go with him was the hardest part, making him revert to cub tactics to get her there. 

**Daryl, baby, come back!** She slip-Shifted, bounded across their scraggly yard and up the tree Daryl was in, only to have him jump to the taller poplar tree that ringed the true forest. 

**_Nu-uh. C'mon, go huntin' with me?_** He asked with wide eyes as he licked his nose and yawned. **_Promise I'll come in quiet if ya go huntin' with me._**

**Alright.** She laughed, her golden gaze reflecting the moonlight easily. 

They tracked a herd of deer, Daryl taking down his own and Mama doing the same. She sat in front of her deer and waited for Daryl to do something this time. 

**_What?_ **

**I know your Nanna has you doing something, baby. Especially when you hunt in your human skin.** Mama snorted with a flick of her round ear. **So go do it.**

**_So I took o' th' forest, so I return o' th' forest._** He recited as he spilled the lifefont of his deer, the slick fluid spilling like ink in the light-speckled forest. 

**That it?**

**_No, but Nanna says that I don't gotta say more than that. Forest already knows th' rest._** Daryl's massive shoulders hunched as he nuzzled against his Mama. 

**If you feel like sayin' the rest, don't stop on my account.**

So Daryl laid at his Mama's spotted paws and said the rest, **_Return that which it has lost, renew it again when th' lifefont hits the earth. The forest sounds its depths an' life is begun anew again._**

**Love you, baby. C'mon, let's eat one and bring the other back.**

**_Yes, Mama._ **

* * *

He didn't feel too wild now, especially with cubs practically piled on top of him every time he tried to slip away and Shift. Andrea's... hovering... wasn't much better. Daryl sighed heavily as he pulled maintenance on his crossbow, watched by four pairs of eyes. When Rick strolled by he clicked his tongue and Rick slowed. 

**_Haven't Shifted in almost three days thanks to these four. Couldja_ ** _please **get 'em off me?**_ Daryl pleaded and Rick, despite having heard Daryl's projection for the very first time, didn't stiffen or pause as he directed Andrea to the range with Dale and the cubs off to help Carol in the kitchen. **_Thanks._**

"Daryl, we need to talk." Storm blue eyes pinned Daryl in place enough that Daryl only nodded in response. He followed Rick across the yard and deep into Beth's territory all the way to the edge. Blood scent stuck to the burning asphalt and it took him a moment to realize it was his own, diluted by nearly a week. "They hurt you." 

"Rick, I got–" 

"It's a good thing they're _already_ dead." Rick's tone had Daryl looking over at the former sheriff deputy in surprise. "They hurt you, Daryl, and you're pack. No gets away with hurting my pack." 

For a moment, brief as it was, it looked like Rick would kill for Daryl, gaze dark and heavy with anger that vanished when Daryl knocked shoulders with him. 

"I got 'em. Broke the spine of one, killed the others. Th' damage they did wasn't enough to stick between Shifts." Daryl reassured Rick, "C'n defend my damn self." 

"That I know." Rick chuckled. "Whatever your Shift might be, its no shrinking violet since you aren't either." 

"You, uh, you wanna...?" He offered. 

Rick shook his head no, giving Daryl a small smile. "Not until you feel comfortable." 

"I... How d'you know?" 

Another smile was sent his way, this one solemn but sincere. "I know what it's like to feel pressured into revealing things you don't want to before your heart is in it. You'll know when you're ready but now is not the time." 

"Damn deep, Officer Grimes." Daryl drawled as he stared at the flaking rust-red patch on the road.

"I left Officer Grimes back at the CDC." Rick snorted as he walked off, tossing the remark over his shoulder.

* * *

Shifting after nearly three days was not fun. Daryl's bones creaked and ached for a long while after he was done, though thankfully there were no bare patches in his thick fur or near his paw pads. No, it was the color of his eyes that stayed the same, startling him when he went to get a drink from a clear stream. He didn't hunt beacuse Merle had come back with two full point bucks on his own. 

Instead, he got to reacquaint himself with his own body. He bounced and rolled and generally stretched himself out. He clawed his way up a tree that overlooked the Greene farm, lounging on a branch high enough to conceal him in the dappled sunlight but low enough to support his weight. 

With the dead in the barn cleared out and Otis gone, Maggie's magic circled the farm in a Ward that mostly consisted of 'nothing but grass here, please go away.' Daryl checked it, brushing it with his magic in a peaceful greeting. 

_'Hello?'_

Daryl chuffed his amusement but answered, 'Merry meet,' 

_'Oh! Merry part and merry meet again! I'm sorry, not many of us use that now.'_

'My Nanna taught me that. What do you mean you don't really use it?' Daryl hadn't had much time to get involved in the community that surrounded magic. 

_'Well, that's the traditional greeting between those who can use magic and it protects the user from unwanted harm but–'_ Maggie paused, unsure of how to say it without hurting Daryl's feelings. Even if she didn't know it was him, someone who could pluck at Wards was not someone to push. 

'The world ended and you all made up something different.' Daryl snorted not surprised if that was the case. Magic was subject to change in the blink of an eye, so this was to be expected. 

_'Exactly. Although, I don't think we've met.'_

'I'm in the group you let into your Ward. Shielded so you can't sense me. You use your magic to a degree that it's saturated the ground around this place. Wouldn't be surprised if we got a protective Being or something within the next few weeks.' Daryl turned on what Merle laughingly referred to as his Nanna tone.

_'oh. Oh! Now that is news. But, it'd be nice to talk to a fellow magic user. Otis wasn't much for teaching.'_

''S Daryl.' 

Maggie only laughed and replied, _'Nice to meet you, Daryl. Now, how do I strengthen these Wards?'_

'Well, you start with a circle...'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


	13. It Ain't always Flashy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got sucked into my other Muses and the other fic that includes Shifter!Daryl, sorry! 
> 
> I do have more chapters and I _am_ catching up on this so it's good. 
> 
> Happy two-months, everyone! Gosh, this thing was just a tiny thing and then —BOOM!— tons of subscripts and hits and... You lot are amazing, you know that? 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

Nanna Dixon explained that the first thing about magic was that it wasn't always showy or flashy. 

It could be the little things; being able to find your way around your house in the dark, always getting the best fruit in the supermarket, being able to soothe animals with the sound of your voice. Slightly larger things meant being able to calm people with a touch of your hand, making that absolutely perfect cup of coffee despite the grounds and water being the same for everyone or even being kind in a cruel world. 

The biggest, Nanna admitted, were indeed flashy. 

Levitating objects, calling up the summer storms or even rattling the earth: that was what Daryl could do if he was properly motivated.

* * *

Daryl and Maggie chose a clearing just inside Beth's territory to set up more powerful Wards. It wouldn't do to be caught without a back-up plan; especially since magic could only aid them in their fight against the onslaught of the dead. 

"Shouldn't we be doin' this in moonlight?" Maggie asked as they draw a circle with charcoal. 

"I swear on my Patron God that if th' next word outta your mouth is _'skyclad,'_ I might turn ya into a chipmunk." Daryl warned as he drew glowing sigils around the mini-representation of the Greene farm and surrounding land. "Skyclad's for blood or extra personal shit. Dangerous enough t' begin with an' with a backlash that just might kill ya. Nah, none o' that." 

"Oh." Maggie flushed at his blunt assessment. 

"Our kind of magic, the earth-bound sort, requires respect for the environment. More a metaphorical baring of self instead o' physical?" He softened as she re-lined the circle. "My Nanna said that most of the crap on TV got it wrong. Y'never mess with Latin cause it ain't rightly dead; still has roots in all o' those languages. You c'n cast in Gaelic but don't mess with it overmuch or ask for impossible shit. Others... Others you gotta experience for yourself. Takes time t' learn it all; don't be too hard on yourself." 

"Otis said not to mess with Latin or any language but English. He never explained why." Maggie scribbled in a leather-bound journal, shorthand that was good to keep. Daryl had his own and had given her his spare. "Only other thing was something about a Family Grimoire." 

"Most Families do. I have one. Yours is probably in your Mama's things. Magic's usually passed down maternally but it c'n occasionally fall to the youngest in line. That's why I got it." Daryl explained as he wrote the meaning of each sigil and rune in the air. 

"Oh. What about if you're a Shifter?" 

"Magic 'n Shifters goes pretty well t'gether. Some of the' magic-inclined like t' say that Shifting's its own kind of small magic." He shrugged as the Wards flared a pearlescent blue. "We're good." 

"What does it mean? The blue?" 

"Protection. Combined magic of two magic-inclined individuals. If we had another one, it'd be gold. Power o' three an' all that." 

"So numbers are important." 

"Promises of three relate t' the Fae or Beings. Promises of seven are for Gods 'n Goddesses. Promises of nine... If you ever gotta make one o' those, I pity you. Those are fer Fae Royalty."

* * *

Merle nudged his shoulder and they slipped off together, silver against brown as they vanished into the undergrowth. 

Today was for hunting and for some time with his brother. They loped together, two hunters passing under the shadow of the trees as they tracked a wild boar. It squealed loudly and charged them, veering at the last second when Daryl's scent came through. He stabbed it with a hefty spear, Merle's spear catching it at the neck and snapping it. Merle settled against a tree easily. Daryl leaned against his brother's shoulder and mulled it over before speaking. 

"You sure are gettin' along with Carol."

"Damn right I am, baby bro." Merle snorted as he pillowed his cheek against Daryl's light mop. "You doin' okay?" 

"'Snot what I thought th' world t' be like After." He blurted. "I thought there'd be more chasin' and runnin' and... Y'know." 

"More you having to fight for yer life from Poachers keen on makin' a price or just flat-out killin' you." Merle guessed with a wry tone, curling his arm around Daryl's shoulder. "Gotta hand it to ya, baby bro." Daryl made an inquiring noise and Merle snorted. "Your instinct 'bout this group." 

"Didn't feel _right_ leavin'. An'..." 

"You got distracted by the pretty grown wolf." His brother teased and Daryl rumbled, the effect ruined by his human chest not being deep enough to sustain it. "Y'did."

"Shut up, Merle." Daryl flushed and swatted at his brother. "Ain't **like** that." 

"But you want it." The sincerity in the tone had Daryl craning his neck to look his brother the eye. "You want it to be like that." 

Sometimes Merle was smart; too damn smart for his own good. 

"Damn it, Mer." The childhood name slipped out and he whined softly in the back of his throat. 

"Ain't gonna tell no one 'less you want me to, 'Ryl." 

"Thanks."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


	14. Nightmares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seems appropriate to post when my day's like Daryl's in this chapter.
> 
> It's just been... a very long day. 
> 
> Here you go!

* * *

The dreams that started when he turned fifteen were downright terrifying. 

It happened, as it always did, with Daryl bound in his human skin. He's bloodied up something **awful** and he's surrounded by _complete strangers_. 

They all feature a bat wrapped in barbed wire so clotted with blood that it dried black. 

Daryl's horrified when the strangers started to become people he knew beyond the dream. 

Glenn. Maggie. Carl. Carol. **Rick.** Five strangers to him still but in the dreams they felt like pack, like _Daryl's_ even though they're imaginary. 

And then Daryl Shifted into this roaring monster, highlighted by the enormous bonfire, sabers gleaming as he ripped apart all who stood in his way. 

The scariest part...

He enjoyed every last death.

* * *

Daryl's hoarse shout of denial roused a good portion of the house and RV. He shook as Merle cradled him in his grip, the reciprocating hold hard enough to bruise his squishy human brother. 

He heaved in heavy breaths of cool air and grounded himself in the surrounding scents of his pack. 

"What happened?" Rick asked gently as Daryl whined softly. 

"Nightmare." He rasped out from where he's practically curled up in Merle's lap. "'Mfine." 

"I hate t' break it to ya, baby bro, but ya look like shit." Merle said softly as he stroked Daryl's sweat-soaked hair away from his face. 

"I do?" There's empathetic nodding all around the living room. "Oh." 

Rick, Glenn, Carl and Beth all Shifted to curl around Merle and Daryl in a fluffy mass of comfort. 

Daryl fell asleep using Rick as a pillow, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

* * *

The pack surprisingly left it alone. They're curious, sure, but they kept topics light and the work was good at knocking away the rest of the nightmare cobwebs. 

Merle herded him off early, citing Dixon things but Rick loped after them.

_What is it?_

Daryl sat with his back to a tree, picking at a busted blister from all the fieldwork and no gloves. 

"'Salright, Mer. Same thing it always is." 

"You gimme a holler if you need me." Merle said seriously but left Rick and Daryl in a small copse of trees. 

_Will you explain or do you just need company?_ Rick asked shrewdly, one dark-tipped ear flicking to hear the sounds of the forest. 

"I'll explain. I get," Daryl inhaled and exhaled a sigh. "I get this nightmare. It's been happenin' since before I knew any of ya, before all th' world turned t' shit. I kill people in it." 

_Our people or enemies?_ Rick settled next to Daryl, letting him stroke the thick fur as he thought about how to answer. 

"Enemies. There's you an' so many of us an' we're tied up. I'm hurt bad, you're bruised somethin' worse and there's so much blood on our pack. There's strangers that don't feel like strangers—like I'll get t' know 'em—not to me, anyway. I Shift in front of everyone. I kill the bastards holding us captive and it ends with th' feeling that... I enjoy tearin' 'em apart. That's what scares me, Rick. I don't—I don't **like** killlin.' Not even for food but I do it 'cause I gotta and the herds need thinnin' out." Daryl managed even as he shredded the pine needles in his free hand.

Rick sat for a long while, blue eyes serious as he considered it. _You said you've been having this dream for a while. Before you met any of us._

"I didn't know who any of you were at first. But when I met you an' then the rest... This dream just kept getting worse an' worse because now _I know who you are_. I Shift for you all, to protect and keep you safe an' I'm startin' to think it might be th' future." 

_It might be, Daryl. It might be your fear of not being able to protect us but I think your first impression's right. You let me know if we meet any of these strangers-but-not, alright?_

"I c'n do that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


	15. Control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're finally hitting the end of Season 2! Horde of Walkers, here we come~ 
> 
> Thank you all for the amazing comments and support but we got a ways yet to go. 
> 
> Enjoy~

* * *

In the first week of After, Daryl ran in Shifted form to scout ahead for his brother, body moving in smooth lines and rippling muscles. He relished in the absolute freedom this chaos brought with it. For the first time in years, Daryl could be himself in a way that had been denied him by society, by his Father and by the state of the world as it had been Before. 

He bounded up mountain trails, climbed as many trees as he wanted and eventually loped back into camp happy and exhausted from nothing more than play or hunting. It felt good. 

Merle watched him in bemusement but let him do what he pleased for the most part. It was when the dreams had returned that Merle insisted that Daryl start hiding again and to stop Shifting quite so much. He looked too predatory, too wild to be anything but a Shift; something that Poachers would pick up on. 

Daryl knew in the long run that his brother was right, he did, but it hurt to reign in and control himself again after so much freedom.

* * *

Sophia tagged along on most errands around the farm, especially watching Daryl set up trip-wires and sneaky traps for food. He Shifted once way from the sight of most, allowing Sophia to pet his thick fur and ride on top of him. She was heavy enough for him to notice but light enough for him not to care about it. 

"Daryl?" 

_**'M listenin', sweetheart.** _

"Do you think Mama and Merle'll get married?" Sophia's innocent question halted them at the edge of the meadow he'd found her in. 

Daryl peered back with a large golden eye and murmured, _**That's between Merle 'n yer Mama. But m' brother's sweet on her. You think she feels th' same?**_

"She blushes real dark when the ladies talk about boys 'n stuff, says she's got her eyes on someone. I think it's Merle." The little one said with all the intuition of a twelve-year-old. 

_**Want me for an Uncle that much, huh?**_ Daryl teased as he shimmied his shoulders carefully. Sophia giggled and swayed with him, her legs gripping the barrel of his ribs. 

"Yeah." Her soft, natural smell of cinnamon and vanilla brightened at his question. "You'd be the bestest Uncle ever." 

_**Thanks fer the vote.**_ Daryl lowered himself so that she could get off and brush away the thick fur tufts he'd shed on her patched jeans. He winked, dug in his bag and produced nearly a whole lint-roll. "Here. That oughta help." 

Sophia got most of it off and was picking at stray strands by the time Carol soared overhead, the sleek grey shape coalescing into a sleek human form. "Thank you for watching over her." 

"Ain't no problem Miss Carol." Daryl muttered as he fiddled with the strap of his crossbow. "Sweet as a lark, that 'un." 

"Daryl taught me how to set up traps, Mama." Sophia followed Carol into the forest as Daryl trailed behind, a mostly silent but protective shadow. 

"Did he?" 

"Uh-huh, and we saw this really pretty flower..."

* * *

The survivors that followed Hershel to a bar realized—about five seconds too late—that Rick's pack was not to be messed with. Daryl shot one on reflex with his crossbow as he fled and Rick shot another, Shifting in an explosion of silvery fur to stand in front of Hershel, Glenn and Daryl. The rest fled after witnessing the flurry of activity from the pack as they circled to protect a grieving Hershel. 

One tripped on the way out and Rick had him by the ankle before Daryl twisted the man's arms behind his back. 

"What were you gonna do with our pack mate?" Rick asked as he pinned the man with a cold gaze, far more terrifying in human form than in wolf for once. 

"Get him to tell us where he was at," the man wheezed in Daryl's hold, Daryl's muscles flexing as the survivor struggled against it. "Too _clean_ not to have a place." 

"Why?" The flat tone was so unlike Rick but it made sense. Fear was the only way this man would talk. 

"Benning's over-run by those... Those things. We barely got out." 

Rick's stony expression didn't change and Daryl wanted answers. 

"So y' decided t' take an innocent man hostage an' make 'im tell you where camp was, if he even had one?" Daryl growled as he tightened his grip until the man's shoulder ground in the socket. "What, six 'gainst one? Don't seem right t' me." 

"Wasn't. Didn't know if he was a Shift or not." 

"Human, dumb-ass, but y' came on one in a pack. Yer lucky I don't jus'—" 

"Don't," The command made him tighten his grip a fraction before resuming the same hold. "We blindfold him and put it to a vote. What's your name?" 

"Randall."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.


	16. Catalyst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For illunoria bc I love the fics they bookmark and also feel so _proud_ that I am the only TWD fic in said bookmarks. Huge ego-booster, tbh?! Like, I have butterflies 'cause of that. 
> 
> I like feedback, lovely readers, anon or otherwise. Even if it's just a comment saying you wish you could leave more kudos, it makes my day and spurs the Muses. Bookmarks with comments in them are honestly my favorites because I look at them and get inspired all over again. 
> 
> In either celebration or a balm for the season premier, I've decided to post this. RL and a new job have been kicking my ass but I'm ba-aaack~ 
> 
> What say y'all to more fluffy one-shots to brace ourselves? 
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

The first time Daryl tripped on two feet and landed on four, he was five and playing quietly with Merle in the living room. He squealed in surprise as he lifted each paw in turn. Merle was huge as he scooped Daryl up and shushed him. 

"Hush, baby bro. He's asleep. Let's go find Mama." 

Merle stumbled all of once when he was outside, Daryl peeping as he inhaled the outside from the safety of his brother's arms. 

"Mama, Daryl's like you!" Merle blurted as Kitty Mama rumbled. "Look!" 

In what's later known as the 'Lion King pose,' he lifted Daryl with both arms extended to present him to Mama. 

**Oh, baby, that's wonderful. How long has he been like this?** Mama asked in her special way. 

"Not more'n a coupla minutes, Mama." 

**_Mama!_** Daryl squirmed in Merle's grip so his brother set him down next to her. 

**Hi, sweetheart.** She groomed his fur, her tongue like a large pink washcloth and cuddled him between her front paws after she was done.

* * *

The thick grey cloth they used to blindfold Randall was cut from the dusty curtains of the bar. The tight bonds were worked quickly by Hershel and Rick, the heavy knots allowing Daryl to hold his position without releasing the man. 

"Why don't we just use your–" Glenn suggested and Daryl scowled. He was already holding Randall, now they wanted to put his personal belongings on the creep? 

"No. Use a knife on one of those curtains." He argued. 

The gag, ripped from the back of the blindfold, was necessary after the first mile. 

Daryl wanted to kill this kid, this almost-a-man, protect their encampment but he had the feeling that this man was a catalyst. He didn't like it and it showed loud and clear. 

Flexing his shoulders did little to release the tension but Hershel noticed Daryl's expression as he did so. 

Randall was between Rick and Glenn, docile for the moment. 

Hershel fell back so Daryl joined him with a raised brow. "Maggie tells me you've been awful helpful to her lately." 

"Ain't like tha-" Daryl's lip curled in an imitation of his Shift, ready to defend Maggie's reputation if necessary. 

"I know, son. I mean with," Hershel wiggled the fingers of his right hand. "She says you're a superb teacher." 

"... Oh." 

"And that you're a troubled man. I don't rightly know what it is bothering you but if you ever need an ear to bend, we're here. Maggie, Beth and I." came the steady, quiet offer. 

"Thank ya for th' offer, Mr. Greene." 

"Hershel, please. I haven't been Mr. Greene in a long while." 

"... Hershel." Daryl hesitated but said it. 

The blinding smile he got in return made him scrub at his nose and look the other way for a moment.

* * *

Daryl held onto his temper by the skin of his clenched teeth. 

Shane wanted to kill the outsider, Rick wanted to still be 'civilized' and the others wanted nothing to do with the man in the already tainted barn. 

He curled up to his brother, bare feet brushing the stream with their weapons close by. 

"'S stupid. It's th' rule of the wild; kill or be killed, eat or be eaten. That kid's gonna ruin it." Daryl grumbled against Merle's shoulder. 

"Y' said it yourself, Shane's a dog. Why're you takin' his side?" Merle asked as he pillowed his cheek on Daryl's blond-ish mop. 

"World ain't like it used t' be, Mer. Rules ain't th' same, hell, _people_ ain't th' same... Nothin's right anymore." Daryl huffed as he wiggled his toes in the nippy water. 

"Did ya hafta spell it out like that?" 

"Jus' sayin'—Aww, nevermind. Thing is, he isn't one o' us but he isn't all bad either. This kinda thing..." 

"It's hard. I get it, Daryl." Merle sighed as he pulled his toes out of the water and Daryl's too, patting them dry with Spanish moss.

Daryl Shifted, having been human for most of the fierce argument between 'co'-leaders Rick and Shane. He yawned until his jaw cracked and snorted when Merle just patted his side like it was a pillow. 

**_Not a pillow, Mer._ **

"Says you." 

**_Sophia knows._ **

"What." 

**_She knows I'm a Shift._** Daryl repeated with an eye roll. **_An' she thinks I'd make a good Uncle if you ever got off yer miserable ass 'n asked Carol out proper-like,_**

"Daryl!" 

**_Still true._ **

"Make ya a deal, dumbass." Merle offered dryly. 

**_Yeah, like what?_ **

"Th' day I ask Carol, you ask Rick." His brother challenged, the sharp scent of woodsmoke and marshmallow weed a dare now. "Swear?" 

**_You're serious._ **

"Very, little bro." 

**_On Mama's grave?_ **

"... Yeah. A new start in her name sounds good." 

**_I swear on Mama's grave that I'll honor our promise to ask Rick if he's interested in datin' me th' same day you ask Carol if she's in'erested in datin' your dumb ass._ **

"Swear on Mama's grave to keep my promise with my brother."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment, complain, ect.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Into the Arms of the Georgia Sun](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6809722) by [Gothams_Only_Wolf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gothams_Only_Wolf/pseuds/Gothams_Only_Wolf)
  * [Wild Skies O'er Yonder](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6904573) by [Bennyhatter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bennyhatter/pseuds/Bennyhatter), [Gothams_Only_Wolf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gothams_Only_Wolf/pseuds/Gothams_Only_Wolf)




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